POINT PLEASANT BEACH — The Point Pleasant Beach Borough Council on Tuesday took a step toward redevelopment of the old Coast Guard station at 24 Inlet Drive, introducing a redevelopment plan for the property that lists only a bed-and-breakfast or a restaurant as permitted uses.
The defunct Coast Guard station, built in 1937, was purchased by the Borough of Point Pleasant Beach for $1.05 million in 2023 after its closing by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2017. Operations were moved to a newly built station across the street the same year.
The redevelopment plan was prepared by planner Nick Dickerson of Colliers Engineering, who attended Tuesday night’s meeting of the mayor and council. He said that the only principal permitted uses of the property once the plan is adopted would be as a bed-and-breakfast inn or a restaurant.
“The redevelopment plan relates to the Coast Guard building, and it is a small portion of the lot, because the remainder of the lot is being retained by the federal government,” said Dickerson. “It only applies to the building. The long and short of it is: it’s a superseding ordinance because the underlying zoning is a public use zone, which doesn’t allow for anything besides public uses…There is no residential (development) permitted as part of this redevelopment plan.”
“The permitted uses include either a bed-and-breakfast inn or a restaurant. The redevelopment plan is incredibly strict on what the building can look like,” he said. “Basically, what you see there must be maintained; the only exceptions we are really allowing with it would be if there needs to be any accessibility improvements to make sure someone in a wheelchair can get into the building, but we try to make it very clear in the ordinance that this building will remain the same and look the same.”
The plan goes into detail as to which use requirements any designated redeveloper for the property would have to go through, including a traffic study to analyze the feasibility of large deliveries or emergency vehicles and procuring designated off-site parking, as the lot cannot accommodate on-site parking. It also explains that the two principal permitted uses would contribute to its overarching goal of “revitalization of the borough’s waterfront” and “allowing for development of commercial uses which contribute to the resort-themed economy.”
“The proposed redevelopment will advance numerous goals and objectives, as outlined in the 2021 Reexamination Report and Master Plan Amendment,” the plan says. “The proposed redevelopment will preserve a structure of architectural value that contributes to the cultural resources of the community. The conversion of the structure from an institutional use with no public access to an anticipated private commercial use will strengthen the borough’s tax base and services and attractions offered by its resort economy.”
The redevelopment plan ordinance was unanimously introduced by the council. A public hearing and final adoption vote will be held at the next council meeting on Tuesday, July 15.
A full copy of the redevelopment plan can be found at pointpleasantbeach.org/223/New-Ordinances by clicking “Ordinance 2025-17 (Approving Redevelopment Plan for 24 Inlet Dr w/Exhibit A).”
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